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- Title
The Utility of Pitch Elevation in the Evaluation of Oropharyngeal Dysphagia: Preliminary Findings.
- Authors
Malandraki, Georgia A.; Hind, Jacqueline A.; Gangnon, Ronald; Logemann, Jeri A.; Robbins, JoAnne
- Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the utility of a pitch elevation task in the assessment of oropharyngeal dysphagia. Method: This study was a pilot prospective cohort study including 40 consecutive patients (16 male and 24 female) who were referred by their physician for a swallowing evaluation. Patients were evaluated with a noninstrumental clinical examination and a videofluoroscopic swallow study, and participated in a pitch elevation task during videofluoroscopic image acquisition. Relationships between pitch elevation measurements (acoustic and perceptual) and swallow parameters (penetration/aspiration and residue) were investigated. Results: Results of this pilot study revealed that both maximum fundamental frequency (F0) and perceptual evaluation of pitch elevation independently significantly predicted Penetration-Aspiration Scale scores for thin liquid swallows (p = .01 and .03, respectively). Vocal range (average pitch to falsetto) was not sensitive in predicting likelihood of oropharyngeal dysphagia. Conclusions: Findings indicate that reduced pitch elevation can be indicative of reduced airway protection and swallowing impairment in some dysphagia patients and may be a useful supplement to dysphagia screening and diagnosis. Further investigation is warranted to determine the optimal utility of this procedure for different diagnostic categories of patients.
- Subjects
LARYNGEAL physiology; NEUROPHYSIOLOGY; FLUOROSCOPY; ANALYSIS of variance; COMPUTER software; DEGLUTITION; DEGLUTITION disorders; LONGITUDINAL method; REGRESSION analysis; PHYSIOLOGICAL aspects of speech; SPEECH therapists; PILOT projects; INTER-observer reliability; DIAGNOSIS
- Publication
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 2011, Vol 20, Issue 4, p262
- ISSN
1058-0360
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1044/1058-0360(2011/10-0097)